The Queen has been informed that Estimate, which won the Gold Cup last year
and came second in this year's race, is one of five horses to test positive
for the banned substance

Estimate, the Gold Cup-winning racehorse owned by the Queen, has tested positive for morphine, a banned substance, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The five-year-old filly trained by Sir Michael Stoute is thought to have tested positive after coming second in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, a race the horse had won the previous year.

The horse could now be stripped of its second-place finish in the 2014 Gold Cup, which would mean the Queen would also forfeit the £80,625 prize money for the second-placed horse.

Initial indications are that the positive test resulted from the consumption of a contaminated feed product, the palace said. The Queen, who cheered the horse on to success in the Gold Cup last year, has been informed of the development.

A statement by John Warren, the Queen's Bloodstock and Racing Advisor, said: "On Thursday July 17 the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced that a number of post-race samples, obtained from recent race meetings, had been found to indicate the presence of morphine, which is a prohibited substance on race days. Five horses, under the care of various trainers, were affected.

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"I can confirm that one of those horses was Estimate, the five year-old filly trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by The Queen.

"Initial indications are that the positive test resulted from the consumption of a contaminated feed product.

"Sir Michael is working closely with the feed company involved to discover how the product may have become contaminated prior to delivery to his stables.

"As the BHA investigates this matter, including potential links between the different cases, Sir Michael continues to offer his full co-operation.

"There will be no further comment until the BHA announces its considered findings. Her Majesty has been informed of the situation."

The BHA said in an earlier statement that: "Once all processes have been completed the cases will be put before a disciplinary panel who will decide what action, if any, should be taken. This may include the disqualification of the horses in question from the relevant races."

Following the announcement of the positive test results, a Northamptonshire-based feed manufacturer, Dodson and Horrell, which has held a royal warrant since 1985, said its suppliers had informed the company of possible contamination.

It destroyed all of its stock of a feed called Alfalfa Oil Plus as a result.

When Estimate won the Gold Cup last year, Sir Michael said Her Majesty greatly appreciated the victory: "It's a special thrill to win this race for the Queen and it will have given her enormous pleasure - she really loves this game and it's a great recreation for her.

"She told me it was a very big thrill and thanked everybody involved."

The Queen won £155,960 in prize money as the owner.

Be My Royal tested positive for morphine after winning the 2002 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury, which was also attributed to feed contamination. The horse was stripped of its victory as a result.